Not worth it

[Mdmtx]

You can say wtf all you want. I'm done with it. Most sellers and venues of goods take their customers schedules into consideration. With the closing decisions of these auction houses, it appears their target demographic is awake at 3:00 AM central time or live outside the country in a time zone that this closing is favorable. Since that is the obvious preferred time, why don't all Auctions, including eBay close at 3:00 AM? Because it's not. This foolishness can continue without me. There are far more cards out there than I could ever afford to buy. So I'm going to pretend that those ending times are just off limits to me. I will pick my fruit from a different branch.

[vintagerookies51]

As someone who is a teenager for 3 more days, I agree I don't understand why some auction houses still do this. I don't see why it would bring in anymore money. Just make everyone happy and have it end at a reasonable hour

[Snapolit1]

The whole model is based on this asinine notion that as soon as I am outbid at 4:53 am on an item I am dying to get, all of a sudden I'm going to start pushing my pile of chips as fast as I can in other directions. Because lord knows once I have my money on the table I'm so crazed that I'll spent it somewhere.

Haven't done that once.

There have been many auctions that have closed at 5 am where I would have bid higher at 11:30pm and gotten the item (and everyone would have made more money on the other end) has it closed on a lot by lot basis.

Is there anything else you see in your life that is sold in such a ridiculous fashion. No. Absurd model.

[Snapolit1]

If there is something I really really want, I will go to bed and set my alarm for 5 am. Get up and take a look at my emails. If I've been outbid I will think about it for a minute. And more times than not roll over and go back to sleep.

[sterlingfox]

I just set a max bid early and forget about it. If I lose, I don't really care - someone else was willing to overpay for it and another one will eventually come along. I don't emotionally attach myself to anything I see, no matter how amazing it looks or how much it "speaks" to me.

I only had my eye on one HA card, which I lost, and one Sterling card, which I apparently hit the sweet spot on and won at my max bid.

[ls7plus]

Originally Posted by sterlingfox

I just set a max bid early and forget about it. If I lose, I don't really care - someone else was willing to overpay for it and another one will eventually come along. I don't emotionally attach myself to anything I see, no matter how amazing it looks or how much it "speaks" to me.

I only had my eye on one HA card, which I lost, and one Sterling card, which I apparently hit the sweet spot on and won at my max bid.

That's almost always what I have done with major auctions. The only exception was in 2007, when I stayed up to guard my maximum bid on the 1923 Lections Babe Ruth, which I won, so it was worth it.

Happy collecting,

Larry

[jefferyepayne]

Been beating this drum for years now. There is no evidence that late night actions result in better $$$ results.

I'm bidding more and more in auctions that either close lot by lot or end at a reasonable hour. I want to reward them with my business and hope others do to.

Glad to see at least a slight trend in this direction from the auction houses and hope it continues.

jeff

[bxb]

I share your frustration. Being an east coast early morning working stiff, I have lost many auctions for this same reason. Max bid doesn't help, last guy up still can outbid me.

[autograf]

I use the "set it and forget it" method. If it hits, I'm good with what I bid. If not, I can live to fight another day. I get more than my share of stuff based on my card room and depleted checkbook. Some auction houses I'm more comfortable than others with leaving a proxy bid. I don't see them changing to an REA type format but that would be nice.

[Edwolf1963]

Originally Posted by autograf

I use the "set it and forget it" method. If it hits, I'm good with what I bid. If not, I can live to fight another day.

Same here and it keeps the emotional bidding/instant overpay regret out of it

[LEHR]

Originally Posted by autograf

I use the "set it and forget it" method. If it hits, I'm good with what I bid. If not, I can live to fight another day.

^This!^

I've never understood why late auction endings bother people so much.

Bottom line is I won't bid with an auction house I don't trust. So if I'm willing to place a bid with an AH and don't feel like staying up I put in a max bid and go to bed. If I win I win and if I don't there's is always another auction right around the corner.

[rats60]

I also use the bid my max and go to bed method. Only on a rare occation for a rare card will I stay up.

[Beastmode]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

The whole model is based on this asinine notion that as soon as I am outbid at 4:53 am on an item I am dying to get, all of a sudden I'm going to start pushing my pile of chips as fast as I can in other directions. Because lord knows once I have my money on the table I'm so crazed that I'll spent it somewhere.

Haven't done that once.

There have been many auctions that have closed at 5 am where I would have bid higher at 11:30pm and gotten the item (and everyone would have made more money on the other end) has it closed on a lot by lot basis.

Is there anything else you see in your life that is sold in such a ridiculous fashion. No. Absurd model.

+Exactly. This is all by design. There is no card, memoriablia, autgraph, etc worth losing my sleep. The entire AH process is set up to shill buyers and cover the tracks with blind bidding. It's too bad, because I would bid on a few items if I could snipe.

Based on the number of repetitive items I see shuffled around these AH's, I would guess 30% of the sales are fake.